Today’s seniors have a wonderful advantage over previous generations: the boom in technological advances that create fascinating new opportunities to enhance quality of life, safety, and socialization. At THE MEDICAL TEAM, we know firsthand the benefits of technology in a health care at home setting, and have outlined some of our top picks here.

Smartphone Apps

It seems that new and incredibly useful apps for seniors become available every day. From a health care standpoint, apps can provide medication reminders and confirmation that meds were taken, heart rate monitors, GPS tracking, and so much more. This can provide families with peace of mind. For fun and socialization, there are memory games, social apps like Facebook and Skype to stay connected to family and friends, apps to download books and news articles (and to enlarge the font to an easy-to-read size).

Emergency Response 

Falls are especially concerning for seniors who live or spend time alone, and emergency response systems have come a long way since the first push-button technology became available 20 years ago. Today, GPS technology incorporated into emergency response systems enables responders to locate seniors in need of help more quickly, even if a fall or other emergency causes the senior to be unable to call for help. Additionally, inventions such as hip protection belts with airbags that deploy when a senior begins to fall can help prevent a break and also alert emergency personnel that a fall is occurring.

Wandering Guards 

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “More than 60 percent of those with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia will wander. If a person is not found within 24 hours, up to half of the individuals who wander will suffer serious injury or death.” To prevent a senior from becoming lost if wandering is a concern, GPS technology has advanced to small, innocuous trackers that can be placed in a shoe, purse, or even ironed onto the senior’s clothing.

While the use of technology is certainly beneficial, there’s still no substitute for the hands-on senior care and supervision provided by a professional home care agency, such as THE MEDICAL TEAM. Contact us to learn more about how we can keep seniors safe, thriving, and well right in the comfort of home.